Partydrugs en studenten: gebruik en kennis van de risico’s

Het gebruik van partydrugs onder jongvolwassenen in Nederland is veelvoorkomend en gaat soms gepaard met ernstige incidenten. Voor effectieve voorlichtingis het van belang te weten wat de risicopopulaties zijn en in hoeverre gebruikers zich bewust zijn van de specifieke risico’s van verschillende partydrugs. Met een schriftelijke enquête onder 514 studenten hebben de auteurs de prevalentie van partydrugsgebruik en het kennisniveau hieromtrent binnen de (Nederlandse en internationale) Groningse studentenpopulatie in kaart gebracht. Het gebruik is hoog: 30,8% van de Nederlandse studenten en 19,8% van de internationale studenten heeft recentelijk partydrugs gebruikt, waarbij XTC het meest gebruikte middel is. Leden van studentenverenigingen gebruiken aanzienlijk meer dan niet-leden. Het kennisniveau van de Nederlandse studenten ligt over het algemeen hoger dan dat van de internationale studenten. De risico’s van het combineren van XTC met amfetamine, uppers met downers worden onderschat, evenals die van het combineren van partydrugs met alcohol. Ook weet een groot deel van de gebruikers niet dat cocaïne en heroïne op elkaar kunnen lijken. Overige kennislacunes, preventiemaatregelen en de implicaties voor drugsvoorlichting en -preventie worden tevens in dit artikel besproken

University students and the normalisation of illicit recreational drug use

The last decades have seen an increase in the use of illicit recreational drugs. In this article we take a detailed look at the current state of normalisation of the three most popular illicit recreational drugs among Dutch university students in the Netherlands (MDMA/Ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamine) by zooming in on five established aspects of normalisation and expanding on one of those aspects: social accomodation, by adding a behavioural subcomponent (setting of use). For this purpose, we used quantitative data, obtained from four studies (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020) among Dutch university students in a prototypical university city in the Netherlands (Groningen). Results show that three aspects of normalisation are clearly observable. The drugs are perceived as highly accessible, the last year prevalence of use is high, and experimenting, especially with MDMA/Ecstasy, is common. Accurate knowledge of the drugs and acceptance of occasional use, account in some measure for social accommodation. However, as students do not talk openly about their drug use with everyone in their environment, one cannot speak of cultural accommodation. Thus, although clear signs of normalisation of illicit recreational drugs, especially MDMA/Ecstasy, are observable among Dutch university students, there is no full-scale normalisation of these drugs

University students and the normalisation of illicit recreational drug use

The last decades have seen an increase in the use of illicit recreational drugs. In this article we take a detailed look at the current state of normalisation of the three most popular illicit recreational drugs among Dutch university students in the Netherlands (MDMA/Ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamine) by zooming in on five established aspects of normalisation and expanding on one of those aspects: social accomodation, by adding a behavioural subcomponent (setting of use). For this purpose, we used quantitative data, obtained from four studies (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020) among Dutch university students in a prototypical university city in the Netherlands (Groningen). Results show that three aspects of normalisation are clearly observable. The drugs are perceived as highly accessible, the last year prevalence of use is high, and experimenting, especially with MDMA/Ecstasy, is common. Accurate knowledge of the drugs and acceptance of occasional use, account in some measure for social accommodation. However, as students do not talk openly about their drug use with everyone in their environment, one cannot speak of cultural accommodation. Thus, although clear signs of normalisation of illicit recreational drugs, especially MDMA/Ecstasy, are observable among Dutch university students, there is no full-scale normalisation of these drugs

Klompen, tulpen en nederwiet:onderzoek naar de veronderstelde acceptatie en het gebruik van cannabis onder internationale en Nederlandse studenten die in Nederland studeren

In dit artikel worden de resultaten gepresenteerd van een kleinschalig en lokaal onderzoek naar de veronderstelde acceptatie en het gebruik van cannabis onder 142 Nederlandse (referentie) en 334 internationale studenten die in Nederland studere

Substance Use among International College Students in The Netherlands: An Exploratory Study

International students form a large subgroup of university college students in The Netherlands. Because little is known about substance use in this group, we investigated substance use and the perceptions thereof in a sample of 515 international students in a Dutch university city using an online survey. Results showed high prevalence rates of substance use, especially for cannabis and nitrous oxide balloons. Risk perceptions and attitudes mirrored prevalence (the most commonly used substances were perceived as the least harmful) and for each substance. Attitudes toward a particular substance were also indicative of recent use of that substance. Further, international students highly overestimated the prevalence of cannabis and ecstasy use in the Dutch adult population. The level of estimation of ecstasy use was also an indicator of recent ecstasy use. Regarding substance use and perceptions thereof, we found no clear subgroups among international students. As international students also appeared more reluctant to speak about substance use with (university) professionals than with friends and fellow students, these findings underline a unique opportunity for social networks of students to provide information about substance use, including associated norms, especially to new international students

The Right Time and Place:A New Approach for Prioritizing Alcohol Enforcement and Prevention Efforts by Combining the Prevalence and the Success Rate for Minors Purchasing Alcohol Themselves

Objective In the Netherlands, enforcement of the alcohol age limit is low and inconsistent because of limited resources. A solution is to optimize the efforts of enforcement officers by prioritizing ways in which they regulate commercial alcohol availability. This could increase compliance by sellers, curbing commercial availability. The objective of this study is to present the development of a commercial alcohol availability estimate (CAAE) for all vendor types selling alcohol and to propose a priority ranking. Method A multi-method design was used, combining data (collected in 2015) from national studies reporting behavior of minors purchasing alcohol themselves and the success rate (noncompliance) of alcohol vendors (interviewing 510 minors by telephone and conducting 1,373 purchase attempts of alcohol by minors, respectively). Descriptive data and the development of the CAAE are presented. Results Compared with other vendor types (e.g., sports bars or supermarkets), bars/cafes/discos scored highest on the CAAE, indicating that 7.7% of 16- to 17-year-olds in the survey reported successfully purchasing their own alcohol at this vendor type. Conclusions To control commercial alcohol availability efficiently for minors in the Netherlands, our estimates suggest that enforcement and prevention efforts should prioritize bars/cafes/discos. However, local authorities should also consider local circumstances and maintain a base amount of attention for all vendor types. Ultimately, the CAAE has the potential to improve enforcer capacity and efficiency in policing commercial alcohol regulation, and prevention workers could align their interventions or campaigns to high-ranked vendor types